I didn’t like it at first. I knew that the whole thing was written in letters, but I was kind of hoping there would be some break in between letters – but there weren’t, and after a while, I started to love it. Once I got used to the letters, I found myself very impressed and slightly amazed that the author managed to create such deep, whole characters from letters and make me fall in love with them all.
I challenge anyone to read this book and not want to meet Dawsey, Isola, Amelia, Eben and the rest, and be a part of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, book lover or not.
There’s not much else to be said about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, other than – READ IT – and now I plan to visit Guernsey on my Big OE, simply because it's a beautiful place both on paper and Google, and, of course, for it's history.
Synopsis from Good Reads:
“ I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb?
As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists.
Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.
Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.
